English
Log in
(0)

News

5 surprising TOEIC tests key facts

Discover surprising TOEIC tests facts

Accepted and trusted by 14,000+ organisations in more than 160 countries, the TOEIC® tests have been known as the industry standard for more than 40 years. As the reference in English-language assessments, TOEIC® tests come with a number of surprising and interesting key facts.

1 – How old are TOEIC test-takers?

At the beginning of each TOEIC® Listening and Reading test, candidates are asked to fill out a background questionnaire. This questionnaire is then used to create the Report on Test-Takers Worldwide. According to the 2018 report, most test-takers are between 21 and 25-years-old (39%) or under 20 years old (23.1%). The report also showed that candidates with the highest scores are between 26-30 years old, with an average score of 643 out of 990.

2 – Which country achieves the highest scores?

The background questionnaire includes information on test-taker’s nationality, allowing us to compare the scores of candidates from different nationalities. The country with the highest score is Canada, with an average of 871 out of 990. Europe is the region with the highest average score, closely followed by Africa.

The ten nationalities with the highest TOEIC® Listening and Reading test scores in 2018 were:

  1. Canada - 871
  2. The Czech Republic - 812
  3. Germany – 798
  4. Lebanon - 786
  5. Belgium - 774
  6. Italy - 767
  7. The Philippines - 727
  8. France - 724
  9. Morocco - 719
  10. Tunisia - 718

3 – Male vs. Female

The report shows that there is not a significant difference between the number of male and female candidates taking the test: 46.1% were female, and 53.9% male. However, we can see that, on average, women tend to score higher on both parts of the test (listening and reading) than men, resulting in an average score of 598 for women, as compared to 568 for men.

4 – Language skills most emphasized vs. Language skills used most often

Candidates are asked to identify which language skills were most emphasized during their studies and the skill that they use most often. The results show a disparity between which skills are most taught and most used. Most test-takers indicated Listening and Speaking as the skills most emphasized when learning English (23.3%), while the skill used most often in their daily life was Reading (32.3%).

5 – Why take the TOEIC test?

 When asked this question, one might expect the top answer to be to get a promotion or job, as the TOEIC® Listening and Reading test is widely used by companies worldwide. However, a high percentage of candidates indicated that the reason for taking a TOEIC® Listening and Reading test was learning (31%) or fulfilling a graduation requirement (24%).

There are many reasons why you should take a TOEIC® Listening and Reading test. So, if you want to take an assessment and see if you can reach the average score of a Canadian test-taker, now is the time. Start practicing for the test and register as soon as you feel ready to take it!